Want to hear a great new weight-loss tip? You probably don’t because you are tired of the never-ending stream of weight loss messages you hear every day, and the last thing you want is to confuse yourself further. Some of these tips are extreme – from cutting out all carbs to consuming only natural juices. But nutrition is never as black and white as many random experts might suggest, and therefore, not all of these tips are as helpful as they may sound. Many of them are outright misleading, confusing, and even harmful.
Today, we will look at some common weight loss tips you should completely disregard.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But is it necessary to have a full breakfast every single day, even if you’re not hungry? Some people tend to believe that eating breakfast every day boosts your metabolism after sleeping through the night. Hence, it supposedly helps in losing weight. However, there’s no research to prove this.
On the contrary, studies seem to indicate that eating or skipping breakfast has almost no effect on weight.
In one study, researchers found that people who skipped breakfast ended up consuming 144 calories more at lunch compared with those who ate a morning meal. However, their total calorie intake was still 408 calories lower at the end of the day.
Experts say that everyone’s body is different, and some people might benefit from eating breakfast while others may benefit from skipping it. If you’re not hungry in the morning, don’t force yourself to eat a heavy meal.
Related: Did You Know These Health Facts Are Actually Myths?
A common misconception in many people’s weight loss journey is the belief that they must give up all kinds of sugar. This is because they probably don’t understand the vital differences between natural and added sugars.
Examples of added sugars include brown sugar, cane juice, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, fruit nectars, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, lactose, malt syrup, maple syrup, molasses, and raw sugar. These sugars and syrups are added to foods or beverages when they are processed or prepared. Excessive intake of this type of sugar has been associated with various health issues.
On the other hand, natural sugars are found in fruits and milk and they contain vitamins and minerals, fiber, and other nutrients. For example, even a sweet fruit like an apple has only 19 grams of sugar along with 3 grams of fiber.
Therefore, foods with natural sugar aren’t a problem, provided that you don’t go overboard. You certainly shouldn’t be completely avoiding these natural sugars, as they offer plenty of health benefits. In fact, research suggests that foods with natural sugars will keep your body healthy, provide you with energy, and keep your metabolism stable.
You might have often heard that losing weight slowly and steadily will offer you a better chance of maintaining your lower weight. That’s not exactly true.
There’s no harm in losing weight slowly. However, recent research suggests that faster weight loss at the start doesn’t escalate the risk of weight regain. In fact, for long-term weight loss, shedding weight fast might be more helpful, research has shown.
A University of Florida study analyzed people who lost weight quickly (one and a half pounds a week for the first month), slowly (half a pound a week), and moderately (somewhere between these two amounts). The researchers discovered that the people in the fast–weight-loss group shed more weight overall and were five times more likely to keep it off 18 months later compared to those in the slow group.
That being said, it’s inadvisable to cut calories too much to lose weight, as that’s unsustainable.
Related: Don't Be Fooled: How to Recognize a Weight-Loss Scam
Fat makes you fat. This is what we’ve been made to believe all our life. But not all fats are bad for your health, and reducing all fatty foods in your diet won’t necessarily help you lose weight.
While fat has twice as many calories as protein or carbs, it also takes a long time to digest and is very filling. Low-fat diets (where fat represents less than 30% of all calories) don’t offer great results compared with other diets like low-carb diets.
It’s equally important to not just focus on eating or drinking fat-free or low-fat products to lose weight, as many of them are packed with refined sugar.
Moreover, foods high in good fats such as vegetable oils (such as coconut, olive, canola, sunflower, soy, and corn), nuts, seeds, avocados, and fish can aid weight loss. However, adding a lot of added fat to your diet will be counterproductive.
You may have heard that eating many small meals every 2-3 hours can help you lose weight. This is a myth. Eating frequent meals throughout the day doesn’t boost your metabolism and, therefore, it doesn’t really affect weight loss.
In a study on 16 adults with obesity, researchers examined the effects of eating 3 and 6 meals per day and found no noticeable difference in weight, fat loss, or appetite. Additionally, research has also indicated that people who eat more often have a much higher risk of colorectal cancer.
Other studies have demonstrated that eating many small meals does not help with weight loss compared with eating three or fewer meals per day.
Experts say that the problem with eating small meals throughout the day is that you often end up consuming more calories than your body needs, leading to weight gain.
Related: 5 Misleading Obesity Myths Debunked by Science
It’s commonly believed that cardiovascular exercises can help us lose weight fast. Also known as cardio or aerobic exercise, these workouts include brisk walking, running, cycling, swimming, rowing, skipping, or running on a treadmill. These exercises can reduce stress levels and benefit heart health. But when it comes to weight loss, their effect isn’t definitive.
According to research, some people lose weight with the help of cardio exercises while others either maintain or gain a slight amount of weight. Studies suggest that the best way to maintain muscle mass while losing weight is to merge cardio with strength training.
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